-PJ Gach

We’ve all been there: Winter is coming… it’s getting colder… you’re trying to layer up to stay warm… but you still need to look professional for work, and gosh darn it, your button down keeps bunching up under your sweater! What’s is a girl to do?

Business is booming for Elizabeth and Lisa, whose shirts were recently featured on The Today Show. These two lovely ladies sat down with us to chat about designing the perfect shirt, their fashion do’s and don’ts, and how a chance meeting led to a glorious partnership and friendship.

BettyConfidential: Elizabeth—was there a particular incident that made you decide to create your shirt? Or was it just a culmination of getting so irritated at shirts that wouldn’t behave?

Elizabeth Thurer: I had always loved the look of a crisp, classic white button down shirt. It was SO Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn. But while the look was fantastic, the feel never was. Interestingly, I also found that when I became a stay-at-home mom, people would comment when I wore one and ask if I was going somewhere! The simple act of adding a collar beneath a sweater instantly gave me a more polished look. But iInevitably, the discomfort of wearing said collar would drive me to execute a wardrobe change by day’s end. I thought that there must be a better, more comfortable alternative!

BC: Lisa and Elizabeth—did you ever think you’d be fashion innovators? How does it feel to conquer misbehaved clothing?

ET: For me, necessity was always the mother of invention, as the saying goes. I had always loved fashion and clothing, but I had never really thought about having a line of my own. Filling an unfulfilled need for women in the marketplace really drove me to pursue EDNY.

Lisa Daniel: YES. I’ve always LOVED fashion, ever since I was a little girl. When I got my driver’s license, my mother told me to go get a job at the ice cream store down the street. Instead, I went into Polo Ralph Lauren on Greenwich Avenue and landed my first job in the clothing world. I think my foundation in fashion allowed me to be confident in coming up with a concept and executing it. Hearing from our customers about how comfortable our shirts are and that wearing them has changed the way they feel about layering makes all the hard work worth it.

Up next: How Elizabeth and Lisa met, what it was like launching into business together, and more!